Pairi Daiza dedicates a weekend to orangutans as Borneo’s fire season begins

On 15 and 16 August, visitors can meet Pairi Daiza’s two orangutan families, take part in special activities and discover the conservation work protecting their wild relatives ahead of International Orangutan Day.

06/08/2026

Brugelette, 13 August 2026 – Ahead of International Orangutan Day on 19 August, Pairi Daiza and the Pairi Daiza Foundation are inviting visitors to a special weekend devoted to orangutans on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August.

Through encounters with the animals and their keepers, a special guided tour and conversations with the Foundation’s volunteers, visitors will learn more about these remarkably intelligent great apes, their way of life and the growing threats facing them in the wild.

The weekend also highlights the urgent work being carried out in Borneo, where the 2026 forest-fire season has begun and the forests on which orangutans depend are once again under severe pressure.

Nine ambassadors for their wild relatives

Pairi Daiza is home to nine Sumatran orangutans living in two family groups in the Kingdom of Ganesha.

Ujian, Sari, Berani and Mathaï live in the Flower Temple. Just opposite them, Kembali, Rosa, Indah, Yori and Bukit have found their home in the House of the Artisan.

The second family arrived at Pairi Daiza in November 2025 from Frankfurt Zoo as part of the European Ex Situ Programme coordinated by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. Their arrival enabled the five orangutans to remain together while contributing to the responsible management of a healthy European population of this Critically Endangered species.

“In July, both orangutan families were outside at the same time for the very first time, a wonderful milestone for us. For Kembali and his family, almost everything was new: trees to climb, ropes and branches to explore, birds, toys, places to rest, and an entire world of movement around them. You could really see how stimulating their new environment was.

Their neighbours in the Flower Temple were just as intrigued. At first, the whole family climbed high into the trees to get a better look at the newcomers. Interestingly, there were no striking vocalisations or direct interactions, and the initial curiosity quickly settled down. Today, both families are once again mainly focused on the relationships within their own group.

Our role is to keep challenging them. We continuously create new enrichments and opportunities to explore, think and interact, because orangutans are exceptionally intelligent animals. I’m looking forward to sharing those observations, and some of their individual personalities, with visitors during this special weekend." Niels Vandemeulebroucke, orangutan care taker at Pairi Daiza.

As ambassadors for their species, Pairi Daiza’s orangutans help visitors understand the extraordinary intelligence of these great apes. They also provide a powerful connection with their wild relatives and the rapidly disappearing forests on which their survival depends.

A weekend of discovery and engagement

On 15 and 16 August, the orangutan care takers and volunteers from the Pairi Daiza Foundation will welcome visitors at an awareness stand near the orangutans’ territories in the Kingdom of Ganesha.

They will share insights into the daily care of the Park’s orangutans, answer visitors’ questions and present the conservation project being conducted in Borneo by the Borneo Nature Foundation, supported by the Pairi Daiza Foundation.

Visitors can also take part in a special 90-minute thematic guided tour dedicated to orangutans. The tour explores the lives and behaviour of these fascinating primates, the challenges they face in their natural habitat and the conservation programmes working to secure their future.

The guided tours will be conducted in French on both days. Advance booking is required, places are limited to 20 participants per group, and the price is €15 per person, excluding admission to Pairi Daiza.

Protecting Borneo’s forests from fire

Since 2023, the Pairi Daiza Foundation has been working with the Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF) to protect and restore orangutan habitat in Sebangau National Park, in Indonesian Borneo. This vast peat-swamp forest is home to approximately 6,000 Bornean orangutans, the world’s largest protected population of the species.

Peat forests are naturally waterlogged and relatively resistant to fire. However, drainage canals previously dug for logging have caused parts of the peatland to dry out, making them extremely vulnerable during the dry season. Once fire penetrates deep into dry peat, it can continue to smoulder underground, making it exceptionally difficult to extinguish while destroying habitat and releasing large quantities of stored carbon into the atmosphere.

The urgency of this work is particularly clear this fire season. On 5 August, a fire broke out along the north-eastern boundary of Sebangau National Park in Central Kalimantan. It has quickly been brought under control, but local teams remain on site to continue wetting the peat and prevent the fire from reigniting. No major fires have so far been reported within BNF’s intervention areas, but the situation remains under close surveillance.

After more than a decade of developing its Integrated Fire Management approach, BNF now supports 11 community firefighting teams: nine in the Sebangau landscape and two in Rungan. From August, fire patrols are being increased from 20 to 30 days per month as the risk rises during the peak fire season.

Fire prevention also begins long before smoke appears. The conservation programme supported by the Pairi Daiza Foundation blocks former drainage canals to retain water and rewet the peat. More than 1,000 dams have now been built across drainage canals in Sebangau, contributing to the rewetting of approximately 75,000 hectares of peatland.

Hydrological monitoring between 2020 and 2026 shows that blocked canals maintain higher groundwater levels than unblocked canals, particularly during the dry season — tangible evidence that this approach is making the peatland more resilient to fire.

« In 2024, the Pairi Daiza Foundation visited Sebangau and saw firsthand the scale of the work carried out by the Borneo Nature Foundation to keep the peat swamp forests rewetted and protected from fire. It is work we are proud to support, and one we have complete confidence in to safeguard this invaluable orangutan population and the habitat it depends on. » Fanny Cloutier, Head of Conservation Programs at the Pairi Daiza Foundation

By combining ecosystem restoration, prevention, surveillance and rapid local intervention, the programme helps protect orangutans, their forest habitat and the communities living alongside it.

From discovery to action

International Orangutan Day is an opportunity not only to celebrate one of humanity’s closest relatives, but also to consider the actions required to protect its future.

By discovering the stories of Ujian’s and Kembali’s families, meeting the people who care for them and learning about conservation work in Borneo, every visitor can become an advocate, a supporter and a voice for orangutans in the wild.

Practical information

Orangutan Weekend: Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August 2026

Location: Kingdom of Ganesha, Pairi Daiza

Awareness stand: Near the orangutan territories

Thematic guided tour: 90 minutes, in French, Booking: Required, Group size: Maximum 20 participants, Price: €15 per person, excluding admission to Pairi Daiza

About the Pairi Daiza Foundation

The Pairi Daiza Foundation works to protect threatened species and restore their natural habitats in Belgium and around the world. Through partnerships with conservation organisations, scientists and local communities, it supports projects combining wildlife protection, habitat restoration, research, education and public awareness.

Fanny Cloutier, Head of Conservation Programs at the Pairi Daiza Foundation, is available for interviews by phone.

Niels Vandemeulebroucke, orangutan care taker at Pairi Daiza is available for interviews in Pairi Daiza 13, 15 and 16 August.